Bulldogs News·
Jan 6
Woodridge Cross Country and Girls Track and Field Coach, Jeff Howard, To Be Inducted into OATCCC Hall of Fame

On January 26, 2018, The Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches (OATCCC) will hold its annual Hall of Fame Banquet at the Columbus- Easton Hotel. As part of the Hall of Fame Class of 2018- Woodridge High School’s Head Cross Country and Girls Track and Field Coach, Jeff Howard will be honored as one of the inductees. Congratulations Coach Howard! A full list of Inductees along with Coach Howard’s BIO are below.

Hall of Fame 2018

Frank Russo—Coaches at LaSalle H. S. in Cincinnati. State Champion team in Cross Country and Track and Field.

Richard Bruggeman—Outstanding Track runner at Ohio State and Marion H.S.

Jeff Howard—Outstanding coach for Woodridge H.S. in Track 7 Field and Cross Country.

Anissa Campbell—Sprinter from Ironton H.S. State Champ and record holder.

Jeff Howard- BIO

“The first rule of hunting for a coaching job: “Never follow the legend.” But—when Stan Stammen capped his 32 year coaching career with his induction into the Hall of Fame (Class of 2006), Jeff Howard picked up the reins of Woodridge cross country and track and over the past 19 years has continued a tradition of excellence few programs can ever hope to achieve.

The respect that Jeff holds for the program, his predecessors, the tradition, and the sport has carried over to every aspect of the program and infused an enthusiasm for running that has become a Woodridge “way of life.” He has shared this expertise with coaches as a speaker at several local and state clinics and with athletes while serving as the Mideast XC coach from 2008-10 and as a Midwest TF coach in 2012. He was chosen to represent Ohio as the NFHS Coach of the Year in 2013-14 and was named the Boys Cross Country Mideast Region (a region covering eight states) Coach of the Year. And yes—his teams have won.

Jeff’s Bulldogs have had 293 athletes qualify to the State Championships with 116 earning All-Ohio honors and several of them earning State Champion titles. They have won a combined 23 District titles, 15 Regional Championships and have been the cross country State Champion on eight occasions including a four year consecutive streak in boys

Division II and in 2016, a sweep of the boys’ and girls’ titles. His 2010 boys’ track team also garnered a State Runner-up title. Their appearances at the 2017 State Cross Country Championship marked the 16th boys and 18th girls, the 4th consecutive trip for the boys and the 9th for the girls. Additionally, the girls rank 9th in all-time appearances at the State Meet tied with Cleveland Hts. Beaumont.

Jeff continues to coach and teach at Woodridge and he and his family live in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio”